Ken Baccettii’s fish report for June 26, 2021

My name is Ken Baccetti. I’m the President of the California Striped Bass Association (CSBA), Isleton-Delta Chapter. As a lifelong fisherman, fishing the California Delta, San Francisco Bay and Ocean waters, I will be your fishing reporter. Now on to the fish report for June 26, 2021.

The striper bite in the Delta has slowed since most of the stripers have spawned and migrated down to San Francisco Bay and ocean for the summer months. Mostly all the charter 6 pack boat captains have moved their boats down to the bay and ocean for the summer, but the lack of stripers never stops Delta fishing legend Mark Wilson from fishing. Mark told me that he recently put quite a few miles on the water before he found the fish. He started the day by trolling the West Bank and around Decker Island and at the mouth of Three Mile Slough for 2 keepers on the Sacramento River. He then motored to the San Joaquin River off Eddo’s Harbor to the Antioch Bridge then into Washington Cut for 2 more stripers to 6 pounds. Mark continued to tell me that he noticed one of the female stripers appeared to not have spawned out yet. Mark added that on a previous trip he did quite well in Broad Slough, boating 8 keeper stripers to 8 pounds (see the attached photo). On all these trips he did his best while trolling deep diving Yozuri’s. The best color for him was a red head with a white body. Wind was a problem, but that didn’t deter Mark at all.

Sturgeon fishing continues to be productive for those anglers fishing in Montezuma and Suisun Sloughs. While most anglers are fishing for halibut and stripers in San Francisco Bay, Captains Zack Medinas and Virginia Salvador of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures tried something very different. They fished for sturgeon in Montezuma Slough, both fishing from kayaks. They each boated an oversized sturgeon while soaking salmon roe. If you would like to watch their exciting adventure, go to YouTube and do a search for “Kayak Fishing White Sturgeon California Delta.”

Meanwhile Don Paganelli, of Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience, tells me that he has been guiding his clients mainly on the Mokelumne River and the Disappointment Slough areas for black bass and stripers. Don’s customers have been casting top water baits in the morning, and they’re finding good numbers of bass and some stripers (see the attached photos) throughout the day. The outgoing tides have been the most productive for him.

Construction is almost completed on an emergency drought barrier on the West False River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In response to worsening drought conditions in California, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is constructing a temporary emergency barrier that will help slow the movement of saltwater into the central Delta and prevent contamination of water supplies for Delta agriculture and municipal supplies for millions of Californians. DWR is working to get the temporary emergency drought barrier in place as soon as possible. The approximately 800- foot-wide temporary barrier consisting of nearly 90,000 cubic yards of rock will span the West False River and prevent salty tides and slower moving salinity from intruding into the interior Delta. Construction is expected to be completed by July 1, 2021. The barrier will be removed no later than November 30, 2021. The barrier will block watercraft passage on West False River until its removal and will be marked by warning signs, lights, and buoys. Alternative routes between the San Joaquin River and interior Delta will be available. For more information, visit the Department of Water Resources Drought Webpage.

Moving on down to San Francisco Bay. The live bait fishing can’t get any better according to Captain Don Franklin of Sole-Man Sportfishing. Capt. Don tells me he’s been finding the halibut for his anglers at Southampton Shoals, the Berkeley Flats and behind Alcatraz Island. Capt. Don went on to say that the stripers have begun to show on the rockpiles West of Alcatraz Island (see the attached photos). Some stripers have also been caught while drifting the previous mentioned locations. The big minus tides and winds have hampered the halibut fishing this week, but the tides look better in the coming weeks. Leopard shark fishing has been very good and is a great alternative to those not wanting to fish live bait or go out the Gate for salmon or rockfish. As the ocean sport salmon season opens out the Gate, the boat traffic in the bay will decrease as some anglers will begin targeting salmon.

The ocean sport salmon season North of Pigeon Point, and out the Golden Gate, opened on June 26, 2021. The size limit is 20 inches total length, with a daily bag limit of two Chinook salmon per day. Retention of Coho salmon (also known as silver salmon) is prohibited in all ocean fisheries off California. Daily reports from the commercial salmon fishermen are very promising, as the commercial fleets have been returning to the docks with record catches of salmon of late.

If you would like more information about the California Striped Bass Association (CSBA), go to our website (www.striper-csba.org). You will be able to access all the information related to the 5 CSBA Chapters. New members only pay $25, that includes a one time $5 initiation fee. After the first year of membership the annual dues are only $20. Your membership helps to strengthen our mission to protect striped bass and our fisheries. Some Chapters will give you a free gift just for joining. The Isleton-Delta Chapter gives all new members a free Chapter decal and hat as a thank you for joining our Chapter. Membership forms are available for each Chapter on the website. Just click on your Chapter of choice and go to the membership page, fill out the application, print it and send your application and payment to the address listed on the application. The website also has Chapters’ newsletters, interesting articles and useful links that will help you plan your next fishing trip.

Until next month, tight lines, good fishing, and have a great 4th of July holiday weekend….